I recommend Blu-Ray. We upgraded to it when I got us a new system just before Christmas -- HDTV, Blu-Ray player, speaker system, all Sony. Oh, and also offering 3D, with the electronic eyeglasses, that work very well, and I changed our DirectTV satellite service over to HD, as well. The majority of the satellite programming we watch is now presented in HD.

The increased detail in HD is wonderful to behold. And the Blu-Ray player will still read the older DVDs you have, and can even improve their appearance with electronic enhancements.

If you're buying new, you must go HD and Blu-Ray. And make sure your HDTV is full 1080p resolution, not 720. And preferably a screen refresh rate of 240Hz.

Blu-Ray disc (BD) selections are still not as extensive as DVD, but shopping at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and online, we've already gotten around 80 BDs since Christmas. In fact, we just got 3 more BDs yesterday, at Target. I HAD to have Hitchcock's original Psycho in HD! LOL! Haven't played it yet.

Last note: because I bought all Sony, and connected them using high-speed HDMI cables (they sorta look like the multi-pin parallel computer cables we used to have to connect PCs to printers & such), the whole system is integrated and works together. Any of the individual remotes for the separate units controls all of the other units as one. Although to simplify things for my partner, I also programmed our DirectTV remote, which he knows best, to also operate the system.

So if I put a Blu-Ray disc into the player, the HDTV and home entertainment speakers automatically turn on by themselves, and switch over to that source. It's like they're all one unit, very neat and simple. Setting up something like that may be a challenge for you, by your own admission, so you might need a local store consultant, or a savy friend. But these things are available.

If you are getting a new system, definitely go with BluRay. You'll still be able to use it to watch your DVDs but I think discs are shifting toward BluRay so you'll want it for future purchases as well. Plus, I like having the option to stream video from the net through my BluRay player - great not to have to wait for discs from NetFlix.

sashaman saidIf you are getting a new system, definitely go with BluRay. You'll still be able to use it to watch your DVDs but I think discs are shifting toward BluRay so you'll want it for future purchases as well. Plus, I like having the option to stream video from the net through my BluRay player - great not to have to wait for discs from NetFlix.

We have the ability to stream, too, and do other things linked online, but honestly I haven't bothered with that so far. I think the main advantage might be informational, but I can't see why I'd want the program content, since I like owning a physical disc, that at times I can loan to others, and have forever, and so don't use NetFlix.

With a Blu-Ray player, hundreds of satellite channels, many of them sending HD, and 2 relatively new computers (this one was bought in October with a 28-inch screen), I haven't discovered a need yet that video streaming to the HDTV would meet. But I'm always willing to learn, so long as it doesn't make my head hurt. LOL!

BTW, I'll mention again the value of a separate speaker system, usually called a home entertainment system. To me, the real secret to it is the independently powered subwoofer box, that you can place almost anywhere. It adds a low frequency "presence" to the sound that truly makes a difference.

I've even had a subwoofer for my last 3 Mac computers, and for my previous HDTV, that I gave away to my BF when I moved down here to Florida 4 years ago. I wouldn't consider a computer or TV complete without a subwoofer. Though they can rattle the walls, so with our Sony system I often press a remote "Night Mode" button that cuts the subwoofer way back, a concession to our condo neighbors. But come back out of Night Mode and it sounds like we're sitting in a movie theatre.

ummm... actually yes. The laser lens can become dirty with air deposits (especially if someone smokes in the residence or it's near a kitchen without adequate range ventilation). Fortunately there are ways to clean that. Second, the mechanism that loads the disc on the tray can fail.

That happened twice in my experience. A guy I stayed with for a time couldn't get his DVD player door to open. I partially disassembled the unit and decided it was likely a faulty microswitch that had failed. Not worth trying to replace, given the low cost of a new unit.

Then my partner's player also had a bad loading mechanism: the tray would shoot out, and then promptly retreat back. You could try grabbing it by hand, and removing and inserting a new DVD, but that wouldn't always work. That was when I decided to just replace everything, including the old TV with a flat screen.

I waited a little while, to see where 3D was going, but finally decided to take the plunge. That's the problem with technology: today's innovation is tomorrow's obsolescence. But at some point you have to make a decision, or you'll never do anything. I now accept that I'll be replacing things at regular intervals anyway, so why wait?

I'm a pretty big tech dork. But I'll keep this post short b/c the other posts are mostly accurate/good/long.

-Go BluRay for sure.

-I would recommend buying a theater package with the BluRay player included. Simpler set up, communication between devices is great. For example, go on amazon.com and look up the "lg lhb535".

-I personally have had great experiences with LG and Sony BluRay players.

-The TV refresh rate (advertised as 60, 120, or 240 hertz for LCD/LED TVs) only matters if you get a BluRay plaer. Your eye cannot see more than 60hz, but BluRay players emit a signal at 24hz, which is not divisible by 60. Thus, it is forced to play one image once, then the next image twice. 120 hz is divisible by 24, so the image is much smoother. 240hz is unnecessary; its a marketing gimmick. Its not even truly 240hz.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy your HDMI cables in a store.Monoprice has them dirt cheap, and since the signal is digital there's really no noticeable signal loss. If you're paying more than $20 a cable, you're getting massively ripped off.

Heck, that site even has very well priced wall mounts.

If you're upgrading your home theater you may need to get a new AV receiver. Make sure the new receiver supports Dolby Digital True HD as well has DTS Master Audio.

All of your devices should be internet connectable as well. As others have said you'll be able to get Netflix on your Blu-Ray player over the internet, and it lets the machines update themselves to work better.

GwgTrunks saidWhatever you do, do NOT buy your HDMI cables in a store.Monoprice has them dirt cheap, and since the signal is digital there's really no noticeable signal loss. If you're paying more than $20 a cable, you're getting massively ripped off.

I'm not sure. My Sony instructions tell me to only get HDMI cables rated as High Speed, in order to experience all the features of my 3D system. To quote from my Sony owner's manual:

Use a High Speed HDMI cable. If you use a Standard HDMI cable, 1080p, Deep Color, or 3D images may not be displayed properly.

So apparently there are at least 2 different classes of HDMI cables, and I would be concerned that less expensive ones are not High Speed. I would certainly confirm that before buying, at whatever price. Mine are all High Speed, and yes, a bit expensive.

I've bought a lot of cables at monoprice and never cease to be amazed how high the quality is for the price. Good call guys! Also, you probably should pass on the $30+ "warranty" that they'll inevitably try to sell you when you buy your player. Consumerist has ran several pieces detailing what a waste these plans are over the long run.

Depends on your TV, if you have anything bigger than 32" then youre better off with Blue-Ray.

Basically this format will provide you with a higher definition image for your TV. With DVD quality HDTVs have to stretch the picture to make it fit on a bigger screen hence dropping quality directly proportional to the screen size. With Blue-Ray HDTVs still have to do some streching on that picture but considering this one is much larger than DVD you end up losing less in terms of image quality.